NeuroTribes 2015-11-23

[Parzival]

Very good book! Another great book is Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry Prizant. I saw him speak when the book was first released.

 

[Magpie]

Im enjoying the book, good writing style, concise yet paints a full picture. Im appreciating the history of autism.

 

[zozie]

I was given this book by a friend this Christmas. I knew it was a history before I read it, so I wasn't surprised or disappointed there. What I was most interested in was the context of so many misunderstandings of what autism is and how it's treated. The chapters about mistreatment of children, Kanner, Lovaas, and ABA were really tough. I cried a few times.

I loved the book, personally, because I can look back and see how so many misconceptions came to be, and I can feel hopeful when reading how the first "autreats" came about. And since many doctors have gotten it wrong for me and I still self-identify, this book helped me see how their views could make so much sense to them, when it really doesn't make sense to me.

I'm letting my mother read it next, as she seems to know little about autism in women and adults. I hope this helps her understand me more.

 

[VictorR]

Review #32

This book had been on my radar for some time, especially given that I’m a history fanatic, but I had held off on reading and reviewing it since it’s among the highest profile books on the spectrum, and as such, already has a myriad number of reviews.

Nonetheless, I did want to at some point see what it was about.

Starting with profiles of Henry Cavendish and Paul Dirac, the author effortlessly weaves together seemingly unrelated stories to build a rich tapestry that tells a history of autism.

Without explicitly stating it, he makes his sympathy for Asperger clear (while providing a lot of interesting context, such as how eugenics and notions of racial superiority were commonplace, even fashionable, in science in both Europe and America during the late 19th century and early 20th century), while also noting that Kanner, by prioritizing his ego, basically condemned generations of autistic individuals and their families.

The section on the invention of and rise of science fiction (and amateur radio) was one that I really quite enjoyed – some of the details are rather nerdy in nature, and it’s easy in retrospect to think that without knowing it, that the eccentrics who were actively involved in those communities had formed some of the earliest autistic communities.

This is unfortunately followed by some of the most challenging portions on the book – on things like the rise of Lovaas and ABA.

The last part, on the early history of autistic-led organizations like ANI and ASAN was interesting as I have only read bits and pieces here and there. I was disappointed given that I think there was a lot more coverage that could have been given, especially since the subtitle of the book after all is “The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity”. Perhaps this is because there has been inevitable fragmentation in the autistic community – ANI and Autreat are both defunct (and there’s not much public information about what happened), and with ASAN, there are lots of autistic organizations and groups that choose not to affiliate with them, or are in a “it’s complicated” relationship with them.

At the end of the day, my dilemma is whether to give this a 5.5 (recommended specialty topic book) or 6.0 (everyone interested in autism should read it), or maybe split the difference on my 6 point rating system. I’ll give it the 6.0 as I think that despite the flaws, that the historical context on how we have reached the present is relatively important. To quote Shakespeare "What's past is prologue".

Having read this book, I also have revised commentary on two of my other reviews:

#31 Queerly Autistic (Erin Ekins)

Ekins mentions online fandoms and so it’s interesting to think that fandoms have always inevitably attracted autistic individuals – who doesn’t want to be in a world where one can freely indulge in their special interest and be appreciated and celebrated for doing so?

#28 The Pattern Seekers (Simon Baron-Cohen)

Now having read Neurotribes, The Pattern Seekers' opening chapter is a pretty blatant rip-off of the style of Neurotribes’ first two chapters.

 

[Rodafina]

Review #32

This book had been on my radar for some time, especially given that I’m a history fanatic, but I had held off on reading and reviewing it since it’s among the highest profile books on the spectrum, and as such, already has a myriad number of reviews.

Nonetheless, I did want to at some point see what it was about.

Starting with profiles of Henry Cavendish and Paul Dirac, the author effortlessly weaves together seemingly unrelated stories to build a rich tapestry that tells a history of autism.

Without explicitly stating it, he makes his sympathy for Asperger clear (while providing a lot of interesting context, such as how eugenics and notions of racial superiority were commonplace, even fashionable, in science in both Europe and America during the late 19th century and early 20th century), while also noting that Kanner, by prioritizing his ego, basically condemned generations of autistic individuals and their families.

The section on the invention of and rise of science fiction (and amateur radio) was one that I really quite enjoyed – some of the details are rather nerdy in nature, and it’s easy in retrospect to think that without knowing it, that the eccentrics who were actively involved in those communities had formed some of the earliest autistic communities.

This is unfortunately followed by some of the most challenging portions on the book – on things like the rise of Lovaas and ABA.

The last part, on the early history of autistic-led organizations like ANI and ASAN was interesting as I have only read bits and pieces here and there. I was disappointed given that I think there was a lot more coverage that could have been given, especially since the subtitle of the book after all is “The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity”. Perhaps this is because there has been inevitable fragmentation in the autistic community – ANI and Autreat are both defunct (and there’s not much public information about what happened), and with ASAN, there are lots of autistic organizations and groups that choose not to affiliate with them, or are in a “it’s complicated” relationship with them.

At the end of the day, my dilemma is whether to give this a 5.5 (recommended specialty topic book) or 6.0 (everyone interested in autism should read it), or maybe split the difference on my 6 point rating system. I’ll give it the 6.0 as I think that despite the flaws, that the historical context on how we have reached the present is relatively important. To quote Shakespeare "What's past is prologue".

Having read this book, I also have revised commentary on two of my other reviews:

#31 Queerly Autistic (Erin Ekins)

Ekins mentions online fandoms and so it’s interesting to think that fandoms have always inevitably attracted autistic individuals – who doesn’t want to be in a world where one can freely indulge in their special interest and be appreciated and celebrated for doing so?

#28 The Pattern Seekers (Simon Baron-Cohen)

Now having read Neurotribes, The Pattern Seekers' opening chapter is a pretty blatant rip-off of the style of Neurotribes’ first two chapters.

Thank you for this. I am well behind on even the most well known material available. Your reviews continue to be helpful and informative.

 

[Human Avatar]

Review #32

This book had been on my radar for some time, especially given that I’m a history fanatic, but I had held off on reading and reviewing it since it’s among the highest profile books on the spectrum, and as such, already has a myriad number of reviews.

Nonetheless, I did want to at some point see what it was about.

Starting with profiles of Henry Cavendish and Paul Dirac, the author effortlessly weaves together seemingly unrelated stories to build a rich tapestry that tells a history of autism.

Without explicitly stating it, he makes his sympathy for Asperger clear (while providing a lot of interesting context, such as how eugenics and notions of racial superiority were commonplace, even fashionable, in science in both Europe and America during the late 19th century and early 20th century), while also noting that Kanner, by prioritizing his ego, basically condemned generations of autistic individuals and their families.

The section on the invention of and rise of science fiction (and amateur radio) was one that I really quite enjoyed – some of the details are rather nerdy in nature, and it’s easy in retrospect to think that without knowing it, that the eccentrics who were actively involved in those communities had formed some of the earliest autistic communities.

This is unfortunately followed by some of the most challenging portions on the book – on things like the rise of Lovaas and ABA.

The last part, on the early history of autistic-led organizations like ANI and ASAN was interesting as I have only read bits and pieces here and there. I was disappointed given that I think there was a lot more coverage that could have been given, especially since the subtitle of the book after all is “The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity”. Perhaps this is because there has been inevitable fragmentation in the autistic community – ANI and Autreat are both defunct (and there’s not much public information about what happened), and with ASAN, there are lots of autistic organizations and groups that choose not to affiliate with them, or are in a “it’s complicated” relationship with them.

At the end of the day, my dilemma is whether to give this a 5.5 (recommended specialty topic book) or 6.0 (everyone interested in autism should read it), or maybe split the difference on my 6 point rating system. I’ll give it the 6.0 as I think that despite the flaws, that the historical context on how we have reached the present is relatively important. To quote Shakespeare "What's past is prologue".

Having read this book, I also have revised commentary on two of my other reviews:

#31 Queerly Autistic (Erin Ekins)

Ekins mentions online fandoms and so it’s interesting to think that fandoms have always inevitably attracted autistic individuals – who doesn’t want to be in a world where one can freely indulge in their special interest and be appreciated and celebrated for doing so?

#28 The Pattern Seekers (Simon Baron-Cohen)

Now having read Neurotribes, The Pattern Seekers' opening chapter is a pretty blatant rip-off of the style of Neurotribes’ first two chapters.

I really liked this book as well . I try to get people around me to read it to help them understand Autism better But that is hard to do . Seems they are only interested in the misinformation and stereotypes. Not knowledge. Plus can’t be bothered all the information they need is on Facebook and twitter .

 

[BreaksOver]

I read Neurotribes via audiobook. I went into it assuming it would be mostly about autistic people themselves, not the history. So that was a little disorienting/disappointing at first. However I don't regret reading this book as I feel I gained a lot of historical context that I wasn't even aware of existing. It makes me feel more equipped to dispel myths/stereotypes people might have around autism in conversation. It's a really great source of information and a good starting point for someone trying to learn more. Certain parts were definitely hard to read and learn about though.

 

[Mr. Stevens]

Great review, @VictorR. I bought Neurotribes a few months ago, but I haven't read it yet. I look forward to it.

I'm part of ASAN and enjoy it so far. It seems like a great organization. You're probably aware, but they have a book called Loud Hands, which goes into their history somewhat.

 

[Jordy]

Is it one of those books that is written to make people with developmental disabilities feel better about themselves and make the obvious point that mental disorders are partially a social construct?

 

[Human Avatar]

Is it one of those books that is written to make people with developmental disabilities feel better about themselves and make the obvious point that mental disorders are partially a social construct?

In my opinion No I did not get that from it .

 

[TBRS1]

Weirdly, I joined this forum because I'm reading this book - I want to find a "neurotribe" I could be part of, so I figured I'd start with a forum .